I have a confession to make. My skills are lacking when it comes to pruning and training our blackberry plants. It seems that the brambles grow faster and faster each year. I usually end up bending them around in large loops and tying them to the trellis. You know what? Now that I have voiced my burden, I have been inspired. I will square off my shoulders, walk out to the garden and pick myself some sweet, ripe berries. After all, does it really matter if the plants aren’t perfectly manicured? It’s the end result that matters.

I do have one useful tip for training blackberry plants along a trellis though. Don’t purchase string, save the string from dog food, cat food and mineral bags instead.